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A daily recap from Web Summit 2025: Resistance rising

Web Summit 2025, Lisbon

Portugal – Day two of Web Summit 2025 was all about resistance and challenging the status quo. In his talk, A Post-American, Enshittification-resistant Internet, journalist and tech-activist Cory Doctorow (who coined the term enshittification) condemned Apple’s and Google’s dominance of app stores and the US’s monopolisation of the tech industry.

Doctorow blamed US tariff threats and lobbying for entrenching platform monopolies, blocking interoperability and preventing users or third parties from repairing, reverse-engineering or improving software. He urged regulators to legalise jailbreaking and reverse-engineering and called on governments to seize the moment for tech liberation – citing recent US trade rhetoric and tariffs – loosen US platform dominance and build alternative stacks in Europe.

Next it was time to tackle the housing market. Former banking executive Chris Smith and actor and producer Cliff Curtis took to the stage to launch a new home equity subscription platform, BLOXX. The fintech start-up is aiming to completely disrupt the traditional housing model and provide an accessible route to home-ownership.

BLOXX users start with a 1% deposit and pay a fixed monthly subscription to gradually acquire equity in their home. Unlike a traditional mortgage, these payments increase ownership over time rather than servicing a loan. Investors benefit from asset-backed returns, while renters gain a path into property ownership. ‘Many people spend years saving for a deposit only to find that the market has outpaced their savings,’ said Curtis. BLOXX will use Web3 to give as many people as possible access to the housing market.

For more on how businesses and consumers are leaning into the resistance and establishing alternative economies, read our New Codes of Value macrotrend.

Strategic opportunity

Create products, services or platforms that offer consumers agency and choice – whether through transparency, alternative business models or enabling access to previously restricted markets – turning frustration with entrenched systems into an opportunity for innovation

The Future Laboratory unpacks Optimised Odysseys report at Breakfast Briefing

UK – The Future Laboratory, alongside the team behind its trends intelligence platform LS:N Global, hosted its quarterly members-only Breakfast Briefing at London social club The Roof Gardens on 12 November 2025.

Foresight analyst Seyi Oduwole gave members and guests an overview of the new travel and hospitality macrotrend, Optimised Odysseys. Insights included Souljourns, which explores how a new wave of travellers are seeking off-grid, emotionally resonant voyages rooted in nature, culture and authenticity, and Emerging Epicentres, which examines how travellers are shifting away from overcrowded hotspots towards lesser-known destinations offering depth of experience and authentic discovery.

Following the presentation, Fiona Harkin, director of foresight at The Future Laboratory, chaired a panel where conversation turned to the growing demand for locally nuanced travel – where travellers seek to understand destinations through a local’s perspective.

Natasha Shafi, CEO of boutique hotel booking service Mr & Mrs Smith, emphasised the need for hoteliers to consider the importance of community and the natural landscape. ‘Hoteliers have a duty to engage with passionate local communities – to go beyond the walls of the hotel and collaborate with the people, culture and environment around them,’ she said. ‘You can learn about the story of the hotel through the environment around it.’

Sam Blenkinsopp, CEO of independent travel platform Trippin, echoed this idea, adding: ‘People are looking for belonging, connection and authenticity. On the flip side, travel comes from colonial archaic roots – it has always been quite voyeuristic and we are giving agency to people to represent their cultures for themselves and take back their story.’

As part of their subscription, LS:N Global members receive exclusive access to these quarterly in-person events, where analysts share the most valuable insights from the latest macrotrend reports.

For early access to our reports and events, become a member today. Optimised Odysseys is also available for purchase via The Future Laboratory’s online shop.

Breakfast Briefing, The Future Laboratory, UK

Stat: One in three dating app users now swipe for career connections

Photography by Mikhail Nilov, US

US – Dating apps are becoming unexpected networking tools. A new ResumeBuilder.com survey of 2,225 users finds that one in three people now use dating apps for professional or career-related purposes, with nearly one in 10 saying it’s their primary reason for swiping.

Platforms such as Tinder, Bumble and Facebook Dating are popular choices for career-minded users, who often target matches in specific roles or at desirable companies. ‘More professionals, especially higher earners, are turning to dating apps as networking tools,’ says ResumeBuilder.com’s chief career adviser Stacie Haller. ‘With fierce competition on LinkedIn, dating apps provide a more personal way to build rapport and get results.’

The strategy appears to be effective. Some 88% of users pursuing professional connections report career success, from gaining mentorship to receiving job offers. Many say they’re turning to dating apps in a bleak job market, viewing them as a creative way to make authentic connections. The trend signals a shift towards more human-centred networking, where opportunity starts with conversation, not a résumé.

Read our interview, The Future of Dating Apps, with Hinge president and chief marketing officer Jackie Jantos to uncover how the brand’s human-first strategy is capturing the attention of a new generation seeking connection-driven networking.

Strategic opportunity

Create platforms that blend personal and professional matchmaking, spaces where people can form multi-dimensional relationships (friendship, mentorship, collaboration or romance) on one platform